Trails will provide a gateway to explore the area’s natural riches

Adventure seekers will soon have many new trails to explore. Source: Photoshot / Vostock Photo.

A new network of environmental trails will make Lake Baikal and its environs more accessible by foot, bike or horseback.

Imagine a holiday in a land of freshwater seals and Stone Age villages, muskrats,
sables and wild honeysuckle. The mosquitoes might make you stop short of
calling it paradise, but Lake Baikal is becoming an increasingly popular
destination for tourists seeking beauty, outdoor activities and wildlife.

Among
the many activities available are fishing, sailing, cycling and horseback
riding as well as caving, mountain climbing and abseiling. And, to make the
area more accessible to tourists, a new network of trails is being developed
that will allow visitors to hike along the shores of Baikal and fully enjoy its
natural beauty.

The
non-profit organisation Great Baikal Trail (GBT) is using international
volunteer groups in two-week summer camps to help build them. So far, there are
about 370 miles of trails and more are planned, including some specialised
routes that are wheelchair accessible, or suitable for biking, horse-riding and
cross-country skiing.

Work
carried out by the volunteers over the summer included restoring a water mill,
planting cherry trees along the Angara River, installing picnic tables and
training further volunteers. Many of these projects are co-operative ventures,
with Irkutsk Botanic Garden supplying the saplings and local enthusiasts
working on a lakeside table.

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Last
year, the US Forest Service donated money to the Baikal project which was used
to provide signage and information panels about the National Park and the caverns in the Malaya Kadil’naya Valley.

Volunteers
from Britain, Germany, Austria,
France and Russia have been teaching children in the Baikal region about
climate change. The scheme also aims to help local people to see that it is in
their interest to help protect Baikal’s clean water and to support those who
want to offer accommodation by developing the infrastructure the area needs to
attract tourists.

The landscapes
around Baikal range from
mountains, taiga and permafrost to dense forests full of fruits and fungi.
Birches, cedars, pines, larches and blue Siberian spruce trees grow on its
shores, as well as wild vines and orchids. Elk, deer, bears, lynxes, blue hares
and chipmunks are among the fauna, and the birds include white-tailed eagles.

These attractions,
together with hot mineral springs, wooden churches, islands and prehistoric
monuments, make the area rich in resources that could draw a larger number of
visitors. Developing the infrastructure to make these treasures accessible is an
impressive goal and a continuing challenge.

Travel information

To reach Lake Baikal, you can fly direct from London to
Irkutsk – an Aeroflot return flight costs around £400-£600. From Irkutsk, take
a bus or a car to the Listvyanka settlement.